A wide variety of semiconductor components comprising optically active layers are known. In particular, light-emitting diodes (LEDs for short) are used in a great many applications and arrangements for displaying operating states, and increasingly for general lighting purposes, as well. Other semiconductor components with active optical layers are also known, such as thin-film transistors (TFTs for short) for active matrix displays and laser diodes.
Although LEDs and other semiconductor components comprising active optical layers have a relatively high efficiency compared to conventional lighting devices such as incandescent or halogen lamps, the optically active layers release not only photoenergy, but also heat, which has the potential to damage or destroy the component. To eliminate this problem, either the power—of high-power components, in particular—must be sharply throttled or suitable cooling must be provided.
A housing suitable for an LED is known from US 2004/0075100 A1. This contains a leadframe and a separately produced thermal connecting part with a chip mounting area.